Top 10 new species of 2015: Cartwheeling spiders, 'chicken from hell' and a giant stick insect celebrated in the year's first official list

The list is compiled annually by European Science Foundation's International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE)

Committee of taxonomists selected the top 10 from among the 18,000 new species named during the previous year

Other creatures on the list include a parasitic plant, a spider-killing wasp and a new species of pufferfish

They perform feats of amazing acrobatics, create intricate works of art and some just look weird, but until last year these species were completely unknown to science.

Now scientists have singled out 10 of the 18,000 new animals and plants discovered by scientists over the past year for their remarkable appearance and behaviour.

The State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) has identified what it considers to be the top 10 new species of 2015 in its annual assessment of discoveries.

The State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) has identified what it considers to be the top 10 new species of 2015 in its annual assessment of discoveries. This desert dwelling spider was one of the new species to be formally described in the past year. It employs cartwheels to propel itself out of harm's way when threatened